


Reaching for a Connection

by FreeGrain



Category: The Shannara Chronicles (TV)
Genre: Dryad AU, Dryad!Amberle, F/F, Human!Eretria, Jan '19 Drive Cleaning, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 10:03:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17423807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreeGrain/pseuds/FreeGrain
Summary: Eretria accidentally gets lost in the forest. But the forest is alive with creatures she doesn't know about.{Princess Rover}{Eretria x Amberle}





	Reaching for a Connection

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally meant to be multichaptered and it shows... sorry y'all. Drive clean out three!

Eretria walked down the path, her bag weighing heavy on her back. The sun shone high in the sky, casting warmth and light down through the leaves. It wasn't unwelcome in such a dark gloomy place.

Bird cry and wild noises echoed around her. A reminder of how far away from humanity she was.

That was the point. The reason she was out walking in this forest. She just needed to get away, get away from all the people. Her life was a mess and she just needed space. Space away from the world and its prying gaze.

She just hadn't been paying attention to how deep she was going until she glanced around, not recognising where she was. The path beneath her was gone.

Eretria was lost.

She looked around her in a circle, trying to figure out which way she'd came. But from not paying attention, she'd turned and disoriented herself. She could have come from any damn direction.

She was well and truly lost. And she was a little nervous.

She'd left in a heated mess, judgement clouded but now she knew that she'd screwed up big time. Lost in a forest with no way to contact others? She was in real trouble now.

She contemplated lighting a fire for the smoke to alert anyone around but left it as her backup plan. Fires took quite the effort to make and would be more effective at night time anyway. She'd look around and see if she could find her path first.

Eretria sighed and started walking. But no matter where she looked, nothing around her was at all familiar. The trees were too tall for her to climb and she couldn’t see over their peaks.

Eretria sat down with a sigh.

She was really an idiot. Storming off into the wood without looking where she was going? Only a fool would do such a thing.

She sighed and shook her head. Okay. Right. She could do this.

She wasn’t going to stay permanently in the forest but she sure as hell wasn’t going to leave it tonight. She needed to find a suitable shelter or something for the night. A cave would be ideal but given her surroundings, doubtful. She sighed and started walking.

Until Eretria came upon a small stream, rushing and leaping through the woods. In any other circumstances, it might have been beautiful.

Darkness set in the sky as night fell. She needed to find shelter soon. All around her were just trees and and small bushes. Any animals that had been out had vanished, probably to their dens for the night.

Eretria sighed, tightening her hold on her bag strap. Looks like she’d be sleeping rough. But she kept following the stream for a while longer, in hope she may find something at least.

Eretria pushed her way through the bush, freezing in place at what she saw.

It was a large glistening pool of rippling blue, green and black. Light shone from somewhere under the water, turning the scene from what would have been creepy to one of pure beauty.

But the strangest part was the girl sitting by the edge. She was a woman really but there was something so… so strange about her that made her seem young yet old at the same time.

Her bare feet dipped into the water, sending a shudder up her legs. She wore loose clothing of browns and greens with gold weaving patterns through it. She was astonishingly beautiful.

Eretria paused at the treeline, mesmerized by the sight. Such beauty, hidden so far out into the forest; she must be the first to see it.

The girl’s hair was a beautiful shade of brown; almost alike to the tree trunks around her. It was pulled back from her face by a thin vine dotted with pink flowers. Her eyes were bright like the sea, a shade of both green and blue.

Suddenly her eyes snapped up. They latched onto Eretria, hidden in the treeline, and panic flared within them. The girl hastily stood, arms held close to her chest.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?”  

Eretria stepped into the clearing, hands held up. The girl set her jaw. She was nervous but not afraid—concerned if anything.

“Hey, sorry, I don’t mean any harm. My name’s Eretria and I got lost in the forest. Do you know the way out?”

The girl studied her, visibly relaxing. “You speak the truth, human..” she murmured, tilting her head. Her eyes flashed before settling back to their normal sea-green. “What are you doing here?”

Eretria took another step forward. “I… I got lost in the forest. I just.. was looking for shelter and saw this pond and…” She trailed off. “Who are you?” It seemed a bit impolite to ask “what are you”, though that’s what she wanted to know. No one like this could be human.

The girl seemed to catch on. “My name is Amberle. I’m a dryad.”

“A dryad?”

“A tree spirit,” Amberle explained. She nodded at a tree on the edge of the pool. “That’s me.”

It was a tall tree, branches stretching out towards the sky. It’s leaves were dappled with tiny specks of brown. The trunk was the same colour as Amberle’s hair.

Eretria’s mouth went dry. This was not happening.

Amberle tilted her head. “You look confused.”

“You… you’re not a tree.”

Amberle nodded. “No, I’m a tree spirit.” She walked towards her. “It’s somewhat the same, I suppose.” She paused by the tree, running her fingers down its bumps and grooves. “Our lifeforce is tied together by magic that is beyond me.”

Eretria could not believe her ears. If anyone was going to be an ethereal being, it would be this gorgeous woman. But she still couldn’t believe her.

Dryads didn’t exist the same way fairies didn’t exist. Nor did elves, or dragons or demons. They were stuff of myths and legends, not real life.

Amberle tilted her head. “May I ask why you’re here again?”

Eretria blinked, giving her head a little shake. “I, um… I’m lost, sorry. I was looking for shelter for the night. It’s getting dark.” That it most certainly was. Overhead the moon was glowing and stars were starting to appear. As beautiful as it was, with the night came a chill and she shivered.

Amberle nodded in understanding. “Of course!” She swept towards her, feet light across the mossy ground. “Come, I know of a cave not too far from here. Will you accompany me?”

The dryad offered her a hand, the palm smooth with flowers twining their way down her wrist. Eretria stared before cautiously placing her hand in hers. Amberle was polite with her loose but guiding grip.

“Lead the way, princess,” she managed out, giving her a smile.

Amberle seemed to like that and her eyes gleamed. “Of course, my lady.”

Together, Amberle started to guide her through the forest. The light from the strange glowing pool wad quickly left behind and she’d have been lost if not for the woman holding her hand. They quickly made their way until they emerged out near an almost sheer rock face.

And, as Amberle said, there was a cave at the base of the rock. It wasn’t too big but would shelter her for the night. Eretria heaved a sigh of relief.

“Great,” she said sincerely, slinging her pack inside. “This is will do well. Now, just to make a fire and then-”

“A fire?” Amberle sat perched on a rock inside, eyebrows furrowing.

“...yes… for warmth.”

Amberle shook her head. “I would not advise it. I am not the only nature spirit out here and not all would be so kind towards you.”

Eretria blinked. She hadn’t even thought about it. If one dryad could exist in the forest, then why couldn’t many? Hundreds? Thousands? This forest stretched for miles, land untouched by human industry. They would never be found.

“What do you suggest I do then?” she asked, sitting down on the ground by her bag. “It’s cold. I don’t know if I’ll sleep.”

She really hated the idea of roughing it in the cave but if it meant she didn’t have to deal with angry nature spirits, she guessed she’d be okay. Things could be worse.

Amberle tilted her head.

“May I?”

Eretria nodded and Amberle sat next to her. She hummed under her breath, a sudden greenish glow coming from her palm. Suddenly moss sprang up from the dusty cave floor and along with it, a curving bush. It coiled around them, sheltering them from the outside.

Eretria gasped, grabbing onto Amberle in surprise. The dryad smiled warmly, cuddling closer. She was warm; and now with the shelter, Eretria wouldn’t go cold that night.

“Try get some rest,” Amberle offered. “I can watch over you for the night, make sure you end up safe.” Another dazzling smile. “I know humans need their sleep.”

She felt like protesting but honestly, Eretria was exhausted. She admitted that she trusted her, as foolish as that may sound. If Amberle wanted to hurt her, she would have by now. And besides… the  lure of sleep was too good to ignore.

“Thank you,” she breathed, closing her eyes.

She leaned against her, inhaling the soft scent of flowers and trees. It was perfect.

Eretria fell asleep.

When she awoke, she opened her eyes to harsh sunlight.

The bush was gone, Amberle was gone. Eretria was alone in the cave, curled beneath the rocks for safety.

She almost didn’t believe her memories but when she felt the soft moss beneath her skin, she knew it wasn’t a dream.

Eretria stooped to pick up her bag and noticed something.

A small wooden carving, so small it could only have been made out of a branch. It was a splendid tree, one so majestic there was no mistaking it. Amberle.

She smiled and stepped out of the cave.

* * *

  
Sitting in the high branches of a tree, Amberle stared out across the forest. She could sense Eretria moving through the vegetation, leaving the place she called home.

And with her went Amberle’s heart.

She’d only met her last night but her heart sang for her, tugging her along. They had a connection, a feeling linking them toegther. She wondered if Eretria felt it too. But they didn’t have a chance together; she was human and she was a dryad.

“Amberle.” Lorin, her best friend, climbed up to join her. “I can feel your pining from miles away, what is wrong?”

He settled down next to her, brushing away the moss cloak that he brought with him. It was his tree that she sat in, the one where she always went when she didn’t want to be found. By anyone but him.

She sighed. “I met a girl. But I must let her go.”

Lorin tilted his head. He no doubt felt her too. A human’s presence disturbed the forest, he knew what he was talking about. “It’s for the best. You can’t get attached to mortals, nonetheless mortals you’ve only met.”

He was right.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t put out.

The sun rose and fell and Amberle went about her daily life. The other dryads gossiped about the human that wandered in, shooting her curious gazes. They knew what she’d done, sheltering Eretria before letting her leave in safety. It was an action unknown to dryads, never mind the princess.

But another day passed.

And then Amberle felt it like a song on the wind. The trees whispered her name, sending her running further than she usually ventured. Closer to the human paths. To one path in particular.

She was waiting, eyes bright as she glanced around her. Her hair was braided down her back and it looked lovely.

Amberle climbed along a branch silently above her. Eretria had called her from the depths of the forest… for what? She spotted the small wood carving in her hand, held carefully as though precious. What was this?

“Amberle?” Eretria called out. “I… I don’t know if you can hear me… but… I want to talk to you… to thank you.” She kicked the ground, mumbling to herself. “To find out why you did what you did.”

Amberle dropped behind her, clearing her throat. “I heard and I came.”

Eretria jumped, eyes widening when she saw her. “Amberle!”

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I wanted to thank you. And talk to you. Maybe… Come back now and again. You’re so interesting and pretty-” was that a blush on her cheeks, “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

That was… unbelievable. But she was so earnest, honest lacing each word. She spoke no lies to her. Amberle knew then that she felt that connection between them, that the forest called for her as surely as she did.

Screw that the others thought of humans, screw the codes and rules. Amberle nodded and indicated to sit next to her. “I couldn’t say no that. Of course.”

This was the start of a connection, woven deeper than any knot. Eretria smiled. Amberle couldn’t help but smile back.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, comments and kudos are appreciated ^-^


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